Fisheries Research Articles

Contrasting life history characteristics of the eightbar grouper Hyporthodus octofasciatus (Pisces: Epinephelidae) over a large latitudinal range reveals spawning omission at higher latitudes

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2-19-2013

Journal Title

ICES Journal of Marine Science

ISSN

Print: 1054-3139 Electronic: 1095-9289

Keywords

age, deep-water, demography, global climate change, growth, maturity, protogynous hermaphroditism, reproduction, Western Australia

Disciplines

Aquaculture and Fisheries

Abstract

Demographic data on deep-water groupers are limited despite them being highly exploited throughout the Indo-Pacific. In Western Australia, the continuous distribution of the eightbar grouper, Hyporthodus octofasciatus, spans tropical to temperate waters over ∼3500 km from 12°S–35°S. The maximum age was markedly higher in the northern tropical waters than in southern temperate waters, i.e. 47 vs 20 years. Females attained a significantly larger length-at-age in southern temperate waters. Macroscopic and microscopic examination of gonads and annual trends in mean monthly gonadosomatic indices (GSIs) were used to determine that this monandric protogynous hermaphrodite spawns from late spring to summer (October–February) in northwestern Australia. In the temperate waters of WA, there was no evidence of reproduction and no males were observed south of ∼30°S latitude. The lengths at which 50% of female H. octofasciatus matured and changed sex were estimated from northern tropical populations at 560 mm (6.1 years) and 1022 mm (≥11 years). Although the population connectivity of H. octofasciatus is unknown, the spawning omission in temperate waters suggests recruitment from the northern tropical areas and highlights the importance of preserving spawning stocks in those northern waters.

Link to Full Text

Share

COinS
 

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fst020